When Faten Alsafadi learned she had a major ovarian tumor, doctors at a community hospital recommended surgery almost immediately. However, wanting to be certain she had the best possible treatment plan, her son Donatello leapt into action: immersing himself in research, seeking advice from others and exploring every option.
A trusted friend recommended they meet with Joshua G. Cohen, M.D., medical director of the gynecologic cancer program at City of Hope Orange County and an associate clinical professor of gynecologic oncology at City of Hope. Dr. Cohen confirmed the ovarian tumor identified on Faten's original scan but recommended new imaging before surgery. At first, Donatello questioned whether another scan was necessary.
"We knew there was a tumor," he says. "We thought, 'Why do another scan? Let's just get it out.'"
The additional imaging changed everything. It revealed additional areas of disease that significantly altered Faten's treatment plan. Rather than proceeding directly to surgery, Dr. Cohen recommended chemotherapy first, followed by a carefully planned operation involving a multidisciplinary team.
Ask Faten about her cancer journey today, and she doesn't begin with treatments. She begins with trust.
"His decisions were all perfect," she says of her son. Over the course of her treatment, she came to place that same trust in Dr. Cohen and the City of Hope team. "You feel you are in safe hands," she says. "Not just good hands. Safe hands."
In the months that followed, Faten underwent chemotherapy, surgery and additional treatment at City of Hope Orange County. Looking back, however, what she remembers most isn't a particular procedure or appointment. It's how she was cared for.
Looking back, Donatello believes seeking highly specialized expertise at City of Hope was one of the most important decisions they made. City of Hope provided a more complete picture of his mother's disease and helped shape a very different treatment plan.
For Donatello, being a caregiver came naturally.
"The minute she was diagnosed, I understood that we were both diagnosed," he says. "These are all things which I believe are the bare minimum that can be done for a person that has done that for me for a very long time."
Asked what advice he would give other caregivers, Donatello doesn't begin with medicine. He talks about presence.
"Genuine presence," he says. "Not occupational presence."
Faten says she experienced that kind of presence throughout her treatment. Donatello put his life on hold and dedicated his time to care for her. Before every chemotherapy appointment, Donatello packed snacks, created music playlists and planned lunch afterward.
"It was like we were going on a picnic," Faten says with a smile. "I never felt he was doing something because it was his duty."
He also made sure cancer never became the center of their lives. While she was undergoing treatment, he planned birthday celebrations, talked about the future and found ways to keep life feeling as normal as possible. She says those moments helped her forget, if only for a while, how serious her illness really was.
Even the regular drives from San Diego County to Orange County became part of that routine, giving them more time together before and after each appointment.
"I never felt I was a burden," she says.
Today, Faten is back to playing the piano, and one of their favorite traditions remains wonderfully simple: sunset walks on the beach. Encouraging scan results and ongoing maintenance therapy have allowed her to embrace the ordinary moments that once seemed uncertain.
The experience taught Donatello that not every family has someone able to spend weeks researching treatment options, seeking second opinions and asking difficult questions. That realization inspired him to create the LaFaten Foundation. Its mission is to help families connect with cancer screenings, specialized care and the guidance needed to navigate a cancer diagnosis.
"I believe not everybody has children or has a son that cares," Donatello says. "But if they at least can get the guidance, then they're pretty much more than halfway there."
Today, he hopes more families will have the same opportunity to find the lifesaving expertise — and hope — that City of Hope offered them.
“Hope is not simply believing everything will be okay,” says Faten. "Sometimes, hope is refusing to stop searching until you find the right hands to care for you — or for the person you love.”
Ending Cancer Starts with Hope. To make an appointment at any of City of Hope’s Orange County locations, call 888-333-HOPE (4673).
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